Whenever I start a new year, I have the itch not to take the old stuff with me. This goes for old books, old purses and suits, and of course, shoes. Unlike anything else though I hang on to my shoes until they disintegrate, because I keep thinking they are going to come back in style. They are not.

So I did what the organizers tell you to do. I made three piles. One for the keepers, one for the ones I have run into a stump or are too knicked up to try to repair. And I have one for the give aways.

This year, as my daughter goes out to get her first professional job, I am putting more in this pile. The ones that I loved but didn’t love as much when I got them home, or the fifth pair of black flats, or the sling backs, I put in the stash for her to go through. She can have anything in that pile. Her rejects go to the Goodwill. I moved from a size 6 to a 6.5 or 7, so I am also giving away any 5.5s and 6’s because I am not trying to be the wicked step sister squeezing into a glass slipper.

When all was said and done I had only gotten rid of 14 pairs of shoes. My goal was to get rid of at least double that amount. So I took a deep breath and got ruthless. In looking at my discards, I learned a lot about myself. My tastes are evolving, my need for both form and function are now important and of course, I am not going quietly into old lady shoes because they feel better.

Can a true Fashionista shake loose 30 pairs of shoes without having a cow? Yes, if she tells herself that it makes room for more shoe booty.